Excursion: Barolo

Kevin and I just returned from a two week excursion to Italy and France, which included, among many other stops, two days in Barolo, Italy.  Thanks to importer Joe Miretti, we were able to stay at the Hotel Barolo, which is owned by the Brezza family, the family behind that delightful Dolcetto that I wrote about earlier this year.  The Hotel is situated perfectly to overlook the picturesque village of Barolo and the grounds also include a lovely swimming pool (the only one in Barolo, it appears) and the Restaurant Brezza and Brezza tasting room.

Barolo is a small wine village of about 700 inhabitants, surrounded by hills of vineyards - gorgeous and somewhat remote (well, more so than, say, Rome and Venice, where we’d spent the earlier part of our week).  While we mostly relied on trains to take us from place to place during our trip, getting to Barolo required the service of a car.  We arrived in Torino late on a Friday afternoon, secured what seemed to be the only automatic transmission vehicle in all of Italy, and were off in our Mercedes A160.  Despite the merely suggestive nature of maps in Italy, and some precariously winding mountain roads, we managed to make it to the hotel in a little more than an hour, arriving around 5 PM.

What greeted us was a breathtaking view of the hills of the Langhe region, where Barolo is situated within Piedmont, with hill after hill covered in vines and the next two villages visible through the slight haze on hilltops in the distance.  Barolo itself snuggled before us, with its several restaurants, tasting rooms, inns and homes, one castle (now home to the Wine Museum), and a church bell that tolled the hour and every fifteen minutes in between.  Despite it’s very reasonable price, our room was large, with modern amenities and shuttered floor-to-ceiling doors leading out to a lovely balcony.

Though I’ve been told that there are several excellent dining options in Barolo, after dining at the Ristorante Brezza the first night, we just couldn’t resist going back the second night.  The homemade pasta was certainly the highlight, with light and angelic “tajarin” (tagliatelle), topped with meat sauce the first night and olive oil the second, and “agnolotti del plin” (tiny meat-filled ravioli) gracing our plates.  We had Brezza wines with dinner both nights as well, enjoying the deliciously fresh and fruity Langhe Nebbiolo the first night and a more complex Barbera the second.

Though we certainly didn’t have enough time in Barolo overall, we were able to spend Saturday afternoon exploring the Wine Museum, wine shops, and cafes along Barolo’s main street.  The best part of our visit, however, was Friday evening before dinner, when we were lucky enough to taste wine with Enzo Brezza, Brezza’s winemaker.  Our tasting started with a tour of the winery, where we saw the original barrel-vaulted structure, built in the late 1880s when the family first started making wine (Enzo is the fourth generation winemaker in his family).  This room is now used for barrel-aging, and the giant casks dwarfed my 5-foot frame!  After seeing the newer wine cellar, we got down to business tasting wines.

We started with the Dolcetto and Langhe Nebbiolo, which we were happy to have again.  While we tasted, Enzo used his detailed map to show us the vineyards where the grapes for each of the wines had been grown, and we snacked on thin, crunchy breadsticks and some of the best cheese we’d had all trip.  Then it was on to the Barbera bottles, more full and complex wines.  We chatted about Enzo’s winemaking education and the places he has visited around the world to make wine.  We discussed the design of the wine labels, which he has been revising.  Then, on to the even more complex Barolo.  We tasted two more recent vintages before getting to the crown jewel of our tasting - the 2001 Brezza Castellero Barolo.  This was by far one of the best wines I have ever tasted.  I couldn’t resist purchasing a bottle right from the source, even if I had to chance it home in my suitcase!

It was very difficult to leave the Hotel Barolo, and everyone in the Brezza family who had made our stay so memorable.  But on Sunday morning we said goodbye to Enzo’s sister Tiziana and hopped into our A160 to leave...but not before Enzo’s mother Carla gave us a bag of delicious hazelnut cookies to take on our way!

What I'm Drinking: Ognissole Primitivo di Manduria 2008

I'm just realizing as I write this that, thinking about my current short list of go-to wines, I guess I have been on a bit of an Italian and Italian-inspired wine kick.  The situation promises only to worsen (improve?) with our scheduled trip to Italy and France in June, which includes a couple of days in (swoon) Barolo.  Stay tuned for more info on that...

In the meantime, I will continue to keep stocking my wine rack with bottles of delicious wine from all over Italy, including this Pugliese red from Feudi di San Gregorio.  The Ognissole Primitivo di Manduria tends to be a crowd-pleaser, a wine that gets great reviews pretty much wherever I take it, and about which I've received the "Where did you get this wine?" text more than once post-gifting.  Given that, it's not surprising that the neighborhood wine shop can't keep it on the shelf - my friends aren't the only ones who find it irresistible!

Primitivo is a close relative of Zinfandel, and Zinfandel fans will be especially happy with this wine.  The style is surprisingly new world - this wine packs a punch in the areas of fruit flavor and % abv - but maintains enough acidity and secondary flavor to stay interesting.  The color is on the border of ruby and garnet, and is on the lighter side of medium in intensity (more pinot noir than cabernet).  Not surprisingly, some slow-moving legs form on the glass with a swirl or two of the wine.

On the nose, this wine is all about fruit.  Red cherry, raspberry, jammy strawberry, dried cranberry, and red currant are all apparent.  Beyond the fruit, there is also a hit of baking spice (cinnamon and clove), a little bit of mineral earth, and a slightly medicinal character.  Alcohol is definitely apparent on the nose as well.

Though the fruit character might suggest otherwise to some, this wine is definitely dry, with good acid, tannins on the lower side, and a healthy dose of alcohol.  It all adds up to a juicy medium-bodied wine with a solid medium finish.  The palate is relatively true to the nose, with lots of red fruit and a slight medicinal quality in the background, but black currant and a hint of savory animal characteristic are also present to keep things interesting.

Overall, this easy-drinking wine hovers around $20 retail, and is a great pick for a Friday night gathering around some thin crust pizzas, fresh out of the brick oven!

What I'm Drinking: Brezza Dolcetto d'Alba San Lorenzo 2009

Drinking this wine right now is just a tiny bit of wishful thinking.  I was pleasantly surprised when I stopped by my local wine shop a couple of weeks ago and found a familiar face - importer Joe Miretti - pouring a few of his Italian gems.  As usual, he had some great stuff with him, including a few reds that might have been a little more appropriate for the wintery weather.  But when I tasted the 2009 Dolcetto d'Alba San Lorenzo, I just couldn't resist taking a bottle home.  And once it was home, I just couldn't resist opening it...even if I might generally think of it as something I would save for the warmer season that we are all already longing for.

This is a delicious wine, and the 2009 is a delicious vintage.   It is a beautiful, clear ruby color with slight touches of purple in the glass.  On the nose, it is definitely fruit-forward, with aromas of predominantly red fruit - cherry, red currant, red raspberry, and strawberry.  It is certainly not an overly simplistic wine, though.  There are mineral undertones and something a bit earthy and ever so slightly woodsy about it that adds depth to the nose.

On the palate, the wine is light bodied and dry, with low tannins and a healthy acidity.  As expected, the flavors are red fruit dominate - strawberry, cherry, and cranberry, with a slightly metallic and stony finish.  The wine has a solid medium length and is not overly simple, but also not too complex.  This is a light, fun, good quality wine that is versatile and also a great value.  Keep it in your cellar for casual dinners with family or friends.